Carbene insertion, carbon nucleophiles

In 1986, we found that alkynyl-A3-iodanes serve as good Michael acceptors toward soft nucleophiles, because of the highly electron-deficient nature of the /3-acetylenic carbon atom. This conjugate addition of nucleophiles constitutes a key step of a highly versatile cyclopentene annulation of alkynyl-A3-iodanes via the tandem Michael-carbene insertion (MCI) reaction [Eq. (103)] [185]. 

Although many examples of addition reactions of carbon nucleophiles to the C=C bond of a (l-alkynyl)carbene complex have been reported (vide infra), to date there are few reports of reactions by which a carbon-carbon bond is formed to Cl, thus leaving the C=C bond unchanged. Reactions of the latter type involve insertion of an alkyne into the M=C bond of a (l-alkynyl)carbene complex 1 (Scheme 1). 

In the case of carbon nucleophiles, the behaviour depends on the nature of the substrate. P-Dicarbonyl enolates react with alkynyliodonium salts to afford a transient carbene, which evolves either by migration towards alkynyl-substituted product, or by insertion towards cyclopentene... 

The key stereochemical features of intramolecular C-H insertion reactions of iron-carbene complexes have been studied and a mechanism for the formation of cyclopentanes suggested. The iron(allyloxy)carbene complexes 53 react with [Bu N][I] to afford the corresponding p,y-unsaturated ketones R3R2C = CHCHCR C(0)(C6H4-o-C1). Cleavage of the C-O bond of the carbene moiety via nucleophilic attack of I on the carbon atom is thought to be a crucial part of the reaction mechanism. The new diiron i-bis(carbene) complex 54 has... 

Feldman reported a route to dihydropyrroles, pyrroles, and indoles via the reaction of sulfonamide anions with alkynyliodonium triflates <96JOC5440>. Thus, upon nucleophilic addition of the anion of 91 to the p-carbon of the alkynyliodonium salt, the alkylidene carbene 92 is generated which can the undergo C-H insertion to the desired product 93. 

The diamagnetic ylide complexes 34 have been obtained from the reaction of electron-deficient complexes [MoH(SR)3(PMePh2)] and alkynes (HC=CTol for the scheme), via the formal insertion of the latter into the Mo-P bond. The structural data show that 34 corresponds to two different resonance-stabilized ylides forms 34a (a-vinyl form) and 34b (carbene ylide form) (Scheme 17) [73]. Concerning the group 7 recent examples of cis ylide rhenium complexes 36 cis-Me-Re-Me) have been reported from the reaction of the corresponding trans cationic alkyne derivatives 35 with PR" via a nucleophilic attack of this phosphine at the alkyne carbon. 

The reaction of carbenes with alcohols can proceed by various pathways, which are most readily distinguished if the divalent carbon is conjugated to a tt system (Scheme 5). Both the ylide mechanism (a) and concerted O-H insertion (b) introduce the alkoxy group at the originally divalent site. On the other hand, carbene protonation (c) gives rise to allylic cations, which will accept nucleophiles at C-l and C-3 to give mixtures of isomeric ethers. In the case of R1 = R2, deuterated alcohols will afford mixtures of isotopomers. 

Butenyl)-, (2,3-dimethyl-3-butenyl)- and (4-pentenyl)-dimethylsilyl)]carbene have been generated by treatment of the corresponding chloromethylsilanes with sodium. Intramolecular [1 + 2] cycloaddition of the carbenic carbon atom to the double bond leads to l-silabicyclo[3.1.0]hexanes and l-silabicyclo[4.1.0]heptanes, respectively, usually in competition with intramolecular C,H insertion (equation 24)56. In contrast, no carbene-derived product could be obtained from (allyldimethylsilyl)carbene. Finally, reaction of chloromethyldimethylvinylsilane with sodium provided, besides the typical products of a Wurtz reaction (103 and 104), a small amount of cyclopropane 106 (equation 26)56. It has been suggested that (dimethylvinylsilyl)carbene (102) isomerizes to silabicyclo[1.1.0]butane 105 by intramolecular cyclopropanation, and nucleophilic ringopening finally leads to 106. 

These highly reactive yet stable species are strong electrophiles of tetraphilic character, since nucleophiles may attack three different carbon atoms (a,/ ,a ) and iodine. In most reactions the first step is a Michael addition at fi-C with formation of an alkenyl zwitterionic intermediate (ylide) which normally eliminates iodoben-zene, generating an alkylidene carbene then, a 1,2-shift of the nucleophile ensues. The final result is its combination with the alkynyl moiety which behaves formally as an alkynyl cation. The initial adduct may react with an electrophile, notably a proton, in which case alkenyl iodonium salts are obtained also, cyclopentenes may be formed by intramolecular C-H 1,5-insertion from the alkylidenecarbenes ... 

Alkynyltriphenylbismuthonium salts react with sodium />-toluenesulfinate in dual reaction modes depending on the solvents employed (Equation (133)).217 When the reaction is conducted in DMF, 1-tosylcyclopentene is formed through 1,5-C-H insertion of an alkylidene carbene intermediate, generated via Michael addition of the sulfinate anion to the /3-carbon. When the reaction is carried out in MeOH, l,2-bis(sulfonyl)alkenes are produced via sequential Michael addition and nucleophilic substitution of the sulfinate anion. 

Irradiation of Fischer carbene complexes generates, by insertion of carbon monoxide, a metal-bound ketene intermediate. Photolytic reactions of carbene complexes are synthetically attractive, in that the reaction conditions are mild and the reactions of ketene intermediates with a variety of reagents is of significant scope. A low concentration of metal-bound ketene is probably obtained and in the absence of a nucleophile, the starting material can usually be recovered even after prolonged irradiation. The ketene intermediates are readily trapped with nucleophiles for example, dipeptides are formed in excellent yield and with very high diastereoselectivity upon irradiation of optically active carbenes in the presence of natural or urmatural a-amino acids (Scheme 28). Dipeptides and PEG-supported amino acids and dipeptides can also be used as nucleophiles. 

Substitution of CO by phosphines 145 The Dotz reaction 149 Rearrangement reactions with loss of CO 151 Photochemical reactions 153 Reactions at the carbene carbon 158 General features 158 Amine nucleophiles 159 Phospine and phosphite nucleophiles 167 Alcohols and alkoxide ion nucleophiles 171 Thiol and thiolate ion nucleophiles 179 Intramolecular nucleophilic reactions 191 Hydroxide ion and water as nucleophiles 194 Insertion reactions initiated by nucleophilic attack Acid-base reactions at the a-carbon 207 General features and methods 207 Kinetic and thermodynamic acidities 209 Effect of structure on pKa values 210 Intrinsic rate constants for proton transfer 219 Thermodynamic acidities in organic solvents 223 Hydrolysis of ionizable carbene complexes 228 Acknowledgments 232 References 233... 

There are a number of reactions that involve insertion of an alkyne or nitrile between the metal and the carbene carbon that are initiated by a nucleophilic addition to the carbene carbon. Many of these reactions have been reviewed examples that have been subjected to kinetic investigations are shown in equations (87) and... 

Another type of insertion reaction that is initiated by nucleophilic attack on the carbene carbon of 120 is shown in equation (91). 

Isocyanides are stable nucleophilic carbenes, well able to insert into carbon-hydrogen, carbon-halogenor heteroatom-hydrogenbonds. The reactions may proceed thermally, or can be catalysed by acids or metal salts. Thus heating the isocyanonaphthalene 137 to 235 °C results in isomerization into the benzocycloheptindole 138 and the benzophenanthridene 139, in addition to isomerization into the cyanide. 

Just like the isoelectronic carbon monoxide, an isocyanide is an excellent ligand to metal ions. The chemistry of metal isocyanide complexes has been reviewed by Singleton and Oosthuizen. Only a few examples will be given here. Insertion of an isocyanide into a metal-carbon bond frequently occurs. It is not always clear whether the key step is electrophilic or nucleophilic attack on the coordinated isocyanide or whether the reaction is concerted. Insertion into metal-carbene and metal-carbyne complexes have been reviewed by Aumann. Coordination to the metal considerably affects the chemistry of the isocyanide. If the metal is electron-donating, as in nitrogenase-like centres, the coordinated isocyanide is apt to electrophilic attack at nitrogen cf. Section III. 

The first step in this scheme is a Michael addition of the nucleophile to the j5-carbon of the alkynyliodonium salt to give the ylide 102. Loss of iodobenzene from 102 gives alkylidenecarbene 103, which rearranges to alkyne 104 in the absence of external traps. This mechanism is experimentally supported by the isolation of cyclic by-products 108 besides the major products, the alkynyl esters 107 in the reaction of alkynyliodonium salt 105 with nucleophiles (equation 67). These cyclic enol ethers are the result of the insertion of the intermediate carbene 106 into the tertiary-8-carbon-hydrogen bond. 

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